Unit of Study:

Thinking Like a GeographerGeographical Regions & Map Skills

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Integrated Social Studies, Grade 3

Unit 3 – Geography - Week at a Glance

Week

Instructional Focus

Reading Workshop Writing Workshop

Revising & Editing

1 Map Skills & Tools BiographyThere are biographies (sets of 6) in your Exploring Social Studies kit. They are also in iXpore and can be used on the panels. There are also biography checkpoints in iXplore you can use for practice.

Personal Narratives

Revise Topic Sentence & Indent Paragraphs

2 Physical Environment Essay Boot Camp Revision: Insert and DeleteDetails

3 Adaptation(Checkpoint #2)

Nonfiction: Lessons

There are nonfiction readers (sets of 6) in your Exploring Social Studies kit. They are also in iXpore and can be used on the panels.

Revise Pronoun Reference

4 Physical and Human Process

Fiction Revise Word Choice

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT UNIT

The lessons in this unit are geared toward the 3rd grade TEKS. Teachers are encouraged to modify these activities as needed and choose resources that best fit their needs. INSS objectives should be visible in the classroom.

Lessons can be integrated into the reading/writing workshop schedule during the following times; poetry, independent reading & writing, read aloud, and social studies content time (15 min.). See the suggested components of balanced literacy in iXplore.

Resources from the new social studies adoption, Exploring Social Studies, are included in this unit. Leveled readers, reader’s theater, audio files, and lesson plans are in iXplore. Each reader comes with a lesson plan booklet with various activities. These are referenced in the unit and located in iXplore.

Please see Dates of Remembrance & Heritage PPTs in iXplore for resources to use for required days of recognition as stated by CFISD policy.

Check out the INSS Year-round Resources folder in iXplore for language arts, vocabulary, & current events resources.

In the Unit Overview, the Bloom’s verbs have been underlined and critical skills have been color-coded. See your grade level TEKS in iXplore.

See Appendix A for a list of biographies that can be used for read alouds during this unit.

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 1

Grade 3 - Integrated Social Studies CurriculumUnit 3:

Geography

Unit Length:

4 WeeksConceptual Lens: Geographic tools and conceptsSocial Studies TEKS:

3.4(A) describe and explain variations in the physical environment, including climate landforms, natural resources, and natural hazards

3.4(B) identify and compare how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical environment in which they live such as deserts, mountains, wetlands, and plains

3.4(C) describe the effects of physical processes such as volcanoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes in shaping the landscape (tie to 4A-natural hazards)

3.4(D) describe the effects of human processes such as building new homes, conservation, and pollution in shaping the landscape

3.4(E) identify and compare the human characteristics of various regions3.5(A) use cardinal and intermediate directions to locate places on maps and globes such as theRocky Mountains, the Mississippi River, and Austin, Texas, in relation to the local community3.5(B) use a scale to determine the distance between places on maps and globes3.5(C) identify and use the compass rose, grid system, and symbols to locate places on maps and globes

3.5(D) create and interpret maps of places and regions that contain map elements, including a title, compass rose, legend, scale, and grid system

3.17(C) i n t erp r e t oral, visual, and print material by identifying the main idea, distinguishing between fact and opinion, identifying cause and effect, and comparing and contrasting

Unit Overview: Students will understand how humans adapt to variations in the physical environment and the concepts of location, distance, and direction on maps and globes.

LiteratureSelections:

Teachers may choose a variety of literature for the read aloud selections to develop students’understanding of the social studies concepts. See Appendix A for suggested literature resources.

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 2

Map Skills & Tools Overview: Week 1Enduring

Understandings/GeneralizationsGuiding/Essential Questions

Geographers use maps and globes to interpret the world.

Why do we need maps? What useful tools does a map contain to help you use it more

effectively? Why do they use scale on a map? So maps can be a

manageable size to read. How could we use a map as our read aloud? Are you really reading

a map?Students will

. . . participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding questions use primary and secondary sources u s e cardinal and intermediate directions to l oc a te places on maps and globes such as the Rocky Mountains, the Mississippi

River, and Austin, Texas, in relation to the local community u s e a scale to det e r mi ne the distance between places on maps and globes i den t i fy and u se the compass rose, grid system, and symbols to l o c ate places on maps and globes c r e a te a n d i n t e r p ret maps of places and regions that contain map elements, including a title, compass rose, legend, scale,

and grid system

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 3

Instructional Resources Week 1Teacher Materials Teacher Notes Assessments (%) Technology

Exploring Social Studies Appendix B-Map Review &

Introduction Appendix C - C y- F a i r I S D M ap :

it can be printed out for eachstudent and placed in his or her ISNor projected onto a large screen.

Appendix D-Scale Appendix E: Where Do I Go? Time For Kids Reader: Geography

Tools Teacher Guide – p. 25-26

iXplore Resources: Geography Vocab. PPT – slides 1-8 Map Review PPT How To Read a Map-Notebook File Unlocking Maps Notebook File

Geography concepts can be taught through a read aloud, but students need time to practice certain maps skills during the content lesson time.

Teachers have a wide selection of read aloud material which can be found in Appendix A. Also, there are biographies (sets of 6) in your Exploring Social Studies kit. They are also in iXpore and can be used on the panels.

Students will also be given the opportunity to use these skills for the technology project at the end of the 9 weeks.

Participation in discussions/account able talk on Read Aloud

Appendix C – CFISD Map Questions

Appendix E – Where Do I Go?

Time For Kids Reader: Geography Tools Teacher Guide – p.

27: GeographyCrossword Puzzle p. 28: Make a Map of Your Room

How To M ake a M ap w / G o og l e M a p

B r a i n P op J r. : R e ad i ng M a p s - information page

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 4

Pacing Guide: Week 1Monday T

uesdayWednesday Thursday F

ridayVocabulary Geography Content Lessons Current EventsReview map vocabulary and concepts from 2nd grade and introduce new terms by using either Appendix B or the Geography Vocabulary PPT (slides 2-8).

Map Globe Cardinal

Directions

Intermediate Directions

Scale Compass Rose Legend Grid Symbol

Focus: Locating places on a map

Reading a map is just like reading a book – you use it to find information.

Use the Maps Review PPT as a read aloud.Have students look at the map on slide 6 and point to the title, compass rose, legend, and symbols. (review from yesterday)

Have students complete the activity on Appendix E.

Focus: Using Scale

Teacher can use the information on Appendix D to review the term distance scale. You may want to provide rulers to students for the days’ activities.

Examples of the two types of scale most commonly used on maps can be found on Appendix D along with an activity using amap of Texas. (%)

Focus: Interpreting a GridMap

Using the C F I SD D i st r i c t M ap , ask students what they notice about the top and side of the map. What are the numbers and letters for? Explain this is adifferent type of map called a grid map. It is a set of lines the same distance apart that crossone another to form boxes.

After a discussion of these items, have students work collaboratively to answer questions 1-13 on Appendix C (%)

Focus: Putting it all together -Lets’ Create a Map Using p. 28 in theTFK Teachers Guide as a model, have students work in pairs or groups to create a map of the classroom. (%)

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 5

Physical Environment Overview: Week 2Enduring Understandings/Generalizations Guiding/Essential Questions

Humans adapt to changes in their physical environment. What is climate and what impact does it have on how and where people live?

What is a landform? What is a natural resource? What are some examples of a natural resource? What makes these natural resources useful? What is a hazard? What are some examples of a natural hazard?

Students will . . . participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding

questions understand key vocabulary terms use primary and secondary sources de s c r i b e and ex p l a i n variations in the physical environment, including climate, landforms, natural resources, and natural

The focus of this TEK is for students to understand there are many different types of physical environments and the environment in which we live can be affected by climate, landforms, natural resources and hazards.

Climate Landforms

Naturalresources

Naturalhazards

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 6

Instructional Resources Week 2Teacher Materials Teacher Notes Assessments (%) T

echnology Exploring Social Studies Our Natural Resources reader: What

Are Natural Resources? pp.4-7, Essential Resources pp.8-13, Hidden Treasures pp.14-21

Our Ever Changing Environment reader: Moving Mountains pp. 12-13, Water World pp.14-19, Wind Power pp. 22-23

Geography Vocabulary PPT – slides 9-22 (iXplore)

Natural Resources Game PPT (iXplore) World Climates Notebook File (iXplore)

Before the vocabulary lesson and the read aloud, create the following anchor chart and have students create the same in their ISN or they can use a post-it note.

Students will use this graphic organizer throughout the week.

Participation in discussions/accountabletalk on Read Aloud

Oliver K. Woodmancontent frame

Landform Dinosaur –Appendix G

Our Natural Resources lesson plan: Story Starter, p.8

Our Natural Resources lesson plan: Reader’s Guide, p. 10: main idea of a section of NF text (Use with NF8)

Our Natural Resources lesson plan: Irrigation, p. 14 – picture analysis

W or l d L andf o r m s! I n t e r a c t i v e L an d forms M ap Sha p e I t Up L a n dform Ga m e L an d form Son g Natural Res ources Ac ti vi ties B r a i n P op J r. Natu r al Re sou r c e s

B ac k g r ou n d I nfor m at i o n

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 7

Physical Environment Pacing Guide: Week 2Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayVocabulary Read Aloud Read Aloud Partner Read Writing

Using the Unit 3 Vocabulary PPT, introduce the following concepts to the students.

Have them do a quick write on a post-it note about what they think each term means and place the note on the graphic organizer.

Climate (slide 9) There are tropical, polar, dry and mild climates.

Landforms (PPT slides 10-21)

Natural Resource (PPT slide 22) Our Natural Resources reader, p. 4-7

Natural Hazards – will develop further in week 4. (PPT slide 25)

Our Natural Resources lesson plan: p. 4-6, vocabulary activities & terms.

Focus: Climate

Review the concept of climate.

Conduct a RAWAT using The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman from the Journeys student book.

Tell students to payattention to the climate, various landforms, and natural resources mentioned in the story. When they hear one mentioned, jot it down in the table or on a post-it note. (%)

Which climate is easier to live in? Why?

Focus: Landforms

Review the concept of landforms. Continue the

RAWAT using The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman from the Journeys student book.

Tell students to payattention to the climate, various landforms, and natural resources mentioned in the story. When they hear one mentioned, jot it down in the table or on a post-it note. (%)

Which landforms are easier to live on?

Focus: Natural Resources

Review the concept of natural resources.

Continue the RAWAT using The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman from the Journeys student book.

Tell students to payattention to the climate, various landforms, and natural resources mentioned in the story. When they hear one mentioned, jot it down in the table or on a post-it note. (%)

Variation: Let them usesticky notes to jot downthe information in thebook.

Our Natural Resources lesson plan: Story Starter, p.8

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 8

Adaptations Overview : Week 3Enduring Understandings/Generalizations Guiding/Essential Questions

Humans adapt to variations in the physical environment and it has an impact on the way they live.

How do people adapt to different environments? How do people modify their environment in order to live? How do we adapt and modify our environment in Houston?

Students will . . . participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding

questions understand key vocabulary terms use primary and secondary sources i den t i fy and c o m p a re how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical environment in which they live

such as deserts, mountains, wetlands, and plains i denti fy and c ompare the human characteristics of various regions

Instructional Resources - Week 3Teacher Materials Teacher Notes Assessments (%) Technology

Exploring Social Studies Shaping Our Environment

reader: Living on Earth p.4-5 Appendix F – Note-taking

Content Wheel Appendix G- Biome

Description Sheets Appendix H-What to look for-

notes for teachers TFK: Living in Antarctic TFK Teacher’s Guide p. 33-36

Teachers should gather a good number of books that deal with different physical environments in which people live (See Appendix A for suggested titles) or use the informational pages in Appendix G.

There are nonfiction readers (sets of 6) in your Exploring Social Studies kit. They are also in iXpore and can be used on the panels.

Participation indiscussions/accountable talk on Read Aloud

Appendix F – Content Wheel

P BS K i ds: e e k O w or l d W hat i s a D e s e r t? T h e D e s e rt B i o m e W et l ands D 4 K : W et l ands Gra s s l ands

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 9

Adaptations Pacing Guide: Week 3Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday F

ridayVocabulary

RAWAT / Independent Reading ShareConduct a RA using the Time for

Kids reader: Living in Antarctica. As you read, discuss how a person would have to adapt and possibly modify their environment to live in such a cold place. Include the following vocabulary terms as you read. Physical Environment - the

combination of a place's physical characteristics. Everything in and on Earth's surface and its atmosphere within which organisms, communities, or objects exist is the environment in which they live.

Adapt- to make suitable or fit for a particular situation. People change their activities to match the physical environment.

Modify- to change or make different. People change the environment to meet their needs.

Divide the students into 4 groups or 8 groups and have two groups report on the same physical environment.

Have students chose a book to read during independent reading time about a particular environment. They can also gather information from reading Appendix I or if time allows research on the internet using a link in the Technology section. Encourage them to take notes about the environment they are reading about. Use Appendix H as a guide and have them complete as many of the sections as possible.

Have students present their findings and use that information to compare and contrast the differentenvironments in which people live.

This can be done by doing a gallery walk.

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 10

Physical and Human Process Overview: Week 4Enduring Understandings/Generalizations Guiding/Essential Questions

Physical processes such as natural hazards can alter our landscape and create new landforms.Human processes such as building new homes, conservation, and pollution alter our environment.

What are some examples of physical process, such as natural hazards and how do they affect the landscape?

Have you ever been in a hurricane or other natural hazard? What are some of the human features that make up an

environment? examples: buildings, roads, bridges, parking lots, etc.

How have those features changed the landscape in our community?

Are these changes always good for the environment? What is conservation and how can we achieve it?

Students will . . . participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding

questions understand key vocabulary terms use primary and secondary sources de s c r i b e the effects of physical processes such as volcanoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes in shaping the landscape de s c r i b e the effects of human processes such as building new homes, conservation, and pollution in shaping the landscape

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 11

Instructional Resources - Week 4Teacher Materials Teacher Notes Assessments (%) Technology

Exploring Social Studies Our Natural Resources reader:

Renewable or Nonrenewable? pp. 22-25, Saving Our Resources pp. 26-17, Conserve It! pp. 28-29

Our Ever Changing Environment reader: Energetic Earthquakes p. 8-9, Violent Volcanoes p.10-11

Shaping Our Environment reader:Building Cities p. 16-21, Planning our Furture p. 22-25, You Can Help, Too! P. 26-27, Save It! P. 28-29

Vocabulary PPT slides 23-25 (iXplore) Conservation PPT (iXplore)

There are several new resources from the new adoption to choose from for this week. These can either be used as a read aloud to build schema, partner reads, or used during independent reading.

Participation in discussions/accountable talk on Read Aloud

Hurricanes Quiz Natural Disaster Quiz Our Natural Resources lesson

plan: Vocabulary Riddles, p. 9 Our Natural Resources lesson

plan: Quiz, p. 12 Our Ever Changing

Environment reader: Your Turn! (p.32) – newspaper article

Our Ever Changing Environment lesson plan: Blowing Its Top-p. 14

Shaping Our Environment lesson plan: Environment: Cause & Effect, p. 8

Shaping Our Environment lesson plan: Renewable Energy, Please, p. 9 (letter)

Shaping Our Environment lesson plan: Our Earth, p. 11-poster

R ec y c l e C i ty E S A K i ds: Natur a l D i s a s t e r s Weather Links

Grade 3: Unit 3

Page 12

Physical and Human Processes Pacing Guide: Week 4Monday T

uesdayWednesday T

hursdayF

ridayVocabulary Read Aloud Vocabulary Read Aloud Current EventsFocus: Effects of physical processes on

the landscapeA physical process is an event that changes the landscape of a particular place such a natural disaster or hazard. A natural hazard is an example of a physical process and is a harmful event not caused by humans and difficult to prevent.

Examples are: (click on the links below to access information about that natural disaster) V o lc anoes E a r t h q u ak e s Hu r r i c a n es T o rnado e s Bl i zz a rds Fl o o d s F or e st f i res if caused by natural occurrence

and not by humans.

Conduct a RA using The Power of Volcanoes, Journeys, Unit 4, TBp. 106.

Use the guiding questions as a springboard to adiscussion on how such natural hazards change the land and the community we live in.

Students can also view one of the free videosfrom Brain Pop referenced in the Technology section. An online quiz can be taken as a class in their ISN or printed off for each student (%).

Focus: Positive and negative effects of human processes on the landscape

Brainstorm ways that people change their environment. build homes and office buildings build roads and bridges build parking lots and garages create parks

Discuss positive effects of these changes Creates jobs Gives people a place to live and work

Discuss negative effects of the changes Pollution Cutting down trees & forests Global warming Over crowding of cities

Conduct a RA using A Mr. Rubish Mood from Judy Moody Saves the World, Meg McDonald, Journeys Unit 4, TBp. 15-28 or one of the suggested titles for Appendix A on conservation.

During the read aloud, focus on the guidingquestions from the lesson. Have students turn and talk about possible predictions and answers tothe questions. (%)

Students may also stop and jot answers to the guiding questions in their ISN. (%)

Teachers may choose to enhance the lesson byusing a link or video from the Technology selection.

What natural hazardshave been in the newslately?

Writing Opportunities:

Our Natural ResourcesReader: Your Turn! p.

32

Shaping OurEnvironment reader:Your Turn! p.32 –

Makinga Difference

Grade 3: Unit 3

Appendix A

Topic Suggested Literature

Map Skills

Are We T here Yet , Daddy? , Virginia Walters Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest, Steve Jenkins H o w t o M a k e a n A p ple P ie a n d S e e t he Wo r l d , Marjorie Priceman Maps: Getting from Here to There, Harvey Weiss Me on the Map, Joan Sweeney My Granny Went to Market: A Round the World Counting Rhyme , Stella

Blackstone There’s a Map on My Lap!, Tish Rabe This is the Way We Go to School, Edith Baer The Once Upon a Time Map Book by B.G. Hennessy Journey of Oliver K. Woodman, Darcy Pattison Mapping Penny’s World, Loreen Leedy Time For Kids Reader: Geography Tools, Teacher Guide p. 25-28 Geography Tools, Time for Kids reader

The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman, Darcy Pattison – Journeys Book 2, TBp. 234-256 – this is a great story written in the form of letter. Students can track the journey of Oliver on a map. You can access through Think Central.

Physical Environment (Climate, Landforms, Natural Resources)

What is a Landform?, Rebeca Rissman li mi ted pr evi ew Glaciers, D.V. Georges Mountain, B.J. Knapp Hills, Christine Webster Peninsulas, Ellen Sturm Niz Books by Sheila Anderson: Coasts, Islands, Mountains, Plains, Plateaus, Valleys America’s Top 10 Natural Wonders Books by Isaac Nadeau: Canyons, Caves, Glaciers, Islands, Mountains,

Peninsulas T he S e v en Won d e r s o f t he N a t u r al Wo r l d , Celia King Aleja n d r o’ s Gi f t , Richard E. Albert The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge, Joanna Cole What is C li m a t e ? , Ellen Lawrence Death Valley: A Day in the Desert, Nancy Smiler Levinson T h i s Land is Your La n d, Woody Guthrie So m e p l ace E l s e , Carol Saul T he A rm a dillo f r om A m a r ill o , Lynne Cherry F r om H e r e t o T he re , Margery Cuyler

L ife o n t he I c e , Susan E. Goodman – Journeys Unit 4, TBp. 140-157

Mou n t ai ns : Su r v i v i n g o n M t . E v e r e s t , Michael Sandler – Unit 5, Journeys TBp. 301-316

TFK: Living in Antarctica, TFK Teachers Guide-p. 33-36A World of Ice, Lois Grippo – Journeys Write in Reader, p. 194-201

(in iXplore and Think Central)

Grade 3: Unit 3

Appendix A

HumanProcess

T he Wa rtv ille W izard , Don Madden My N e w Y o r k , Kathy Jakobsen What You Kn o w Fi r s t , Patricia MacLachlan 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World, Melanie Walsh Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share, Molly Bang Whe r e D o I L i ve , Neil Chesanow A Mr. Rubish Mood from Judy Moody Saves the World, Meg

McDonald, Journeys Unit 4, TBp. 15-28 S a v e t he R ain Fore s t , Patricia Ann Lynch, Journey Unit 4, TBp. 30-32

PhysicalProcess

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival,

Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery The Great Storm: The Hurricane Diary of J.T. King, Lisa Waller Rogers A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, Renee Watson Danger! Earthquakes, Seymour Simon Rocking and Rolling, Phillip Steele Glaciers Change the Earth, Time for Kids

T he P o w er o f V o l c a n o e s , Journeys Unit 4, TBp. 106 T he L a n d Vo l c a n o es B u i l t , Patricia Ann Lynch - Journeys Unit 5, TBp.

288-290Exploring

Social Studies

Lesson plans, eBooks, and

audio are located in

iXplore. Click on the book icon to open.

(Only works in WORD)

For Journeys selections; Click the link to go to Think Central. Click the Table of Contents in the left-hand corner. Browse to find the selection and click on it. It can now be displayed on a Promethean panel for whole group use.

Review of Geographic Tools

Maps use a key, or legend to explain the meaning of each of the symbolsused in the map.

A compass rose is used for showing cardinal

directions.

Scale (map): The scale of a map is defined as the ra t i o of a distance on the map to the actual distance on the ground.

A grid is a series of evenly spaced

imaginary lines that intersect with one

another at right angles. One set of lines are

distributed across the globe horizontally, and

one set of lines are distributed vertically.

Many maps can have ati

tle.

Grade 3: Unit 3 Appendix B

Grade 3 - Unit 3 Appendix C

Appendix CGrade 3: Unit 3

Map of CFISD

Name

1. What is the title of the map?

2. What does a map legend tell us?

3. How many items are included in the legend?

4. Why do we use symbols on a map?

5. What is the symbol for an elementary school?

6. How do you use the compass rose? _

7. What grid location is our school?

8. What grid location is The Berry Center?

9. What grid location is Hamilton Middle School?

10. What grid location is Cypress Ridge High School?

11. What school is located at J 9 ?

12. What school is located at 3 E ?

Bonus Question

13. What are three elementary schools near your school? Write their

name and their grid address.

Appendix DGrade 3: Unit 3

This map uses a bar scale to show the length that equals

10 miles on the map.

You can take a piece of paper, mark off miles

from the bar scale onto the edge of the paper, and then hold the edge of the paper onto the

map.

Tells you in words that one inch on this

map is equal to 4 miles.

You can use a ruler to determine the

distance from one point to another on the

map.

Appendix DGrade 3: Unit 3

0 (1 inch) 100 Miles

Use a ruler and the map above to answer the following questions.

l. How far (in miles) is it from Houston, Texas to Austin, Texas?

2. How far (in miles) is it from Austin, Texas to Dallas, Texas?

Appendix EGrade 3: Unit 3

Which Way Do I Go? Activity #1 Find Houston, Texas.Find the Austin, Texas.

Using the compass rose, which direction would you need to travel to get fromHouston, Texas to Austin, Texas?

Activity #2Find Houston, Texas.Find the Mississippi River.

Using the compass rose, which direction would you need to travel to get fromHouston, Texas to the Mississippi River?

Activity #3Find Houston, Texas.Find the Rocky Mountains.

Using the compass rose, which direction would you need to travel to get fromHouston, Texas to the Rocky Mountains?

How many states do the Rocky Mountains cover?

Appendix FGrade 3: Unit 3

How do people adapt to and change their environments?Name:

Choose a different color pen or pencil for each: Adapt to and Change. Indicate your color choices in t he boxes at the bottom of the page.

D How we adapt to the environemnt

D Howwe change the environment

Appendix GGrade 3: Unit 3

What is a Desert Like?

The hot desert is a land of extremes: extreme heat and extreme dryness; sudden flash floods and cold nights. Because deserts are such a harsh environment, deserts often have names likes "Death Valley," "the empty quarter," and "the place from where there is no return."

DrynessDeserts are usually very, very dry. Even the wettest deserts get less than ten inches of precipitation a year.

In most places, rain falls steadily throughout the year. But in the desert, there may be only a few periods of rains per year with a lot of timebetween rains. When it does rain, there may be quite a downpour! After the rain, de se r t f l o we rs b l o o m .

Hot During the Day, Cool at NightEveryone knows that during the day many deserts are hot, very hot. Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees fahrenheit are not uncommon. Yet at night, the same deserts can have temperatures fall into the 40s or 50s? Why?

Other biomes are insulated by their humidity (water vapor in the air). Temperate deciduous forests, for example, may have 80 percent humidity or more during the day. This water reflects and absorbs sunlight and the energy it brings. At night, the water acts like a blanket, trapping heat inside the forest.

Appendix GGrade 3: Unit 3

Since deserts usually have only between 10 and 20 percent humidity to trap temperatures and have so few trees and other vegetation to retain heat, they cool down rapidly when the sun sets, and heat up quickly after the sun rises.

Fresh water wetlands are found all over the world in lowland areas or along rivers, lakes, and streams.

Some wetlands are temporary and seasonal. They occur for a few weeks at a time and then disappear until they are refilled with water. Other wetlands are always under water.

What Are Freshwater Wetlands?

The term "wetlands" encompasses a wide variety of aquatic habitats including swamps, marshes, bogs, prairie potholes, flood plains, and fen.

Natural wetlands are lands which, due to geological or ecological factors, have a natural supply of water—either from tidal flows, flooding rivers, connections with groundwater, or because they are perched above aquifers or potholes. Wetlands are covered or soaked for at least a part, and often all, of the year. This makes wetlands intermediaries between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They are neither one nor the other, and yet they are both.

What is a marsh?A freshwater marsh is an inland area inundated with 1–6 feet (33–200 cm) of water, containing a variety of perennials (mostly grasses), forbs (flowers), and bushes, rather than trees, as in swamps.

Marshes have an interesting mix of plant and animal life, one that effectively demonstrates the interconnectedness of living things. They are home to yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds, herons, egrets, rails, bitterns, moorhens, ducks and geese. Most migratory species, in fact, rely on a network of wetlands to get from their southern habitats to nest sites further north.

Muskrats are central to many marshes, keeping aggressive plants in check and crafting bird protection by carving out habitat. Minks and otters frequent wetlands. Raccoons, opossums, even moose can be found foraging around marshes, particularly when water levels drop. Marshes also host

Appendix GGrade 3: Unit 3

frogs, turtles, and snakes, salamanders, and an immense variety of insects, including aquatic, flying, and grazing insects.

What is a swamp?Swamps are slow moving streams, rivers or isolated depressions that host trees and some shrubs.

What is a bog?A bog is a peat-accumulating wetland. Some shrubs and evergreens grow in bogs, as do mosses. Most water comes from precipitation. There is usually no direct inflow or outflow of water.

What is a prairie pothole?A prairie pothole is a wetland area found in the northern Great Plains. These shallow or bowl-like depressions have variable wetness. They are oftenused for breeding by birds. Prairie potholes are not wet year-round.

What is a riparian marsh?Marshes that occur along rivers are called riparian marshes. These marshes serve two ecological roles: to absorb excess water when river levels are high and to release water when river levels are low. These balancing forces help prevent floods and droughts.

However, for the past 100 years humankind has straightened and deepened rivers in order to make them more accessible for commerce. The unfortunate side effect is the loss of riparian marshes. Today, very few riparian marshes are left. Some scientists believe that the great Mississippi River flood of 1993 was worsened, in part, by the loss of these wetlands.

Appendix GGrade 3: Unit 3

What Are Grasslands Like?

Grasslands are big open spaces. There are not many bushes in the grassland. Trees are found only by rivers and streams. The grassland seems like an endless ocean of grass.

Grasslands receive about 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. If they received more rain, the grasslands would become a forest. If they received less, they would become a desert. Grasslands are often located between deserts and forests.

Grassland soil tends to be deep and fertile. The roots of perennial grasses usually penetrate far into the soil. InNorth America, the prairies were once inhabited by huge herds of bison and pronghorns who fed on the prairie grasses. These herds are almost gone now, and most of the prairies have been converted into the richestagricultural region on earth. Crops grow well in the rich soil.

A plain is a geographical term used to describe a relatively flat piece of land with little or no elevation. Plains are also characterized by the absence of any depression.

Appendix GGrade 3: Unit 3

The Great PlainsThe Great Plains stretched from the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains out to the Mississippi River. This vast region of rolling hills and regular rainfall was covered in wild grasses. These grasses supported a wide variety of wildlife, which included bison herds that were almost unimaginable insize.

A mountain is a landform that raises high above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. They are made from rocks and earth.

W h a t d o M o u n t a i n s l o o k l i k e?

Mountains usually have steep, sloping sides and sharp or slightly rounded ridges and peaks.

Mountains can be rocky and barren. Some have trees growing on their sides and very high mountains have snow on their peaks.

Some common features of mountains include the following:

the summit, or the top of a mountain; the slope, or side of the mountain; and a very steep valley between young

mountains, known as a gorge.

Where are mountains found?

Mountains exist on every continent and even beneath our great oceans.

D i d y o u k n o w?

Some of the highest mountains are at the bottom of the sea. Hawaii is at the top of a volcanic mountain in the Pacific Ocean. More than half the mountain is below water.

The largest range of mountains is in the Alantic Ocean.

Mountains cover one-fifth of the earth’s land surface, and occur in 75 percent of the world’s countries.

How are mountains formed?

Mountains are formed through varying causes, there are several distinct types of mountains.A mountain is a landform that raises high above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. They are made from rocks and earth.

Generally, mountains are higher than 600 meters. Those less than 600 meters are called hills.

Appendix HGrade 3: Unit 3

Teacher Notes-What to look for

DesertsExamples of how people adapt to a desert environment include varying their type of clothing, type of shelter such as caves, and the types of foods they eat. They may adapt in other ways as well, for example, using more solar power, rather than fossil fuels.

Examples of how people modify the desert environment include drilling wells for water, irrigating for crops and landscaping, planting non- native species in landscapes, using air conditioning

MountainsExamples of how people adapt to a mountain environment include varying their type of clothing, type of shelter, and the types of foods they eat. They may adjust their calendars to accomplish different goals according to the weather.

Examples of how people modify the mountain environment include extracting natural resources, building hydro-electro power projects, adjusting economic activities to make use of natural resources, such as through mining and logging

WetlandsExamples of how people adapt to a wetlands environment include recognizing the natural climate cycles that include floods, choosing clothing, food, and shelter that are readily available

Examples of how people modify the wetlands environment include draining the wetlands for crops and development

PlainsExamples of how people adapt to a plains environment include varying their type of clothing, type of shelter, and the types of foods they eat according to what is locally available, becoming used to the constant winds

Examples of how people modify the plains environment include introducing non-nativecrops and domestic animals, irrigating, and developing open areas, developing wind power